February
26, 2010 Use Back button
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SANDERSON –
The Chamber of Commerce Tuesday appointed a “Nopalito Market” committee to
help plan for an arts and crafts market as a tool to make Sanderson a tourist
“destination” rather than some place people drive through on their way to
somewhere else. Anna La Fleur,
a News Leader writer and former bakery owner, came up with the idea based on
the success of a similar venture at Wimberley in the Texas Hill Country. Sanderson is
the Cactus Capital of Texas and La Fleur suggested the nopalito theme to tie
into that promotion. Nopales are
the vegetables from the young pads of a prickly pear cactus. “I have seen
this work in other communities and it can work here,” she wrote in last
week’s News Leader. “This could be the thing that this town has waited for,
even if it starts out small.” She said
Wimberley started out of five pickups, grew to 480 booths and now draws
visitors from a broad area. Chamber
members Dale Carruthers, Donna Muñiz, Shellie Martin and Randy Feille agreed
to serve on a committee to explore the idea further. La Fleur said
she had already talked to six people who were interested in participating and
suggested others. “Surrounding
towns like Fort Stockton, Marathon and Alpine could contribute as well,” she
said. La Fleur said
she does not want to have a “flea market” because a “garage sale” atmosphere
might give the wrong impression of the town. But others
suggested a garage sale elsewhere in town could complement the arts and
crafts market and the American Legion Post 160 has talked about a monthly
garage sale next to the Legion Hall. That way, each
could promote the other. The market
would likely be monthly on a set day and La Fleur suggested a second
Saturday. The project
could start some place like the Pavilion at Bicentennial Park but it could
also be located at or adjacent to an existing business that could benefit
from and help the market. Vendor fees
could be established with the proceeds going to the market, to the business
providing the space or both. A press
release could be developed prior to the first day for the market and some
suggested it have its own web site. Carruthers
suggested a set of guidelines be adopted to assure the market would be an
attraction to the town. In addition to
Wimberley, Chamber members also mentioned First Monday at Canton in East
Texas. Boulder City, NV, has a similar event that draws upwards of 300,000
visitors. In other
action, Sign/Bro-chure Committee Chairman Bill Smith said the long-awaited
Walking and Driving Tour is now “in print” and should be delivered soon, The 12-page,
full color book offers a tour of 49 historic sites in Sanderson that can be
accessed by a short drive or a walk. It starts at
the Eastgate Park in east Sanderson and ends at the site of the World War I
90th Aero Squadron near where the Sanderson Wool Commission is now located. Smith said he
would offer other brochure ideas and the Chamber discussed a future
full-color brochure on glossy paper that could stand out from the others at
visitor centers, hotel lobbies and elsewhere around the state. Smith said he
would offer ideas at the next chamber meeting on March 23. He said he also
would explore a list of volunteers who would make sure towns in the area had
a stock of Sanderson materials. Plans were
discussed for the annual Thursday reception for the Big Bend Open Road Race,
which last year served more than 400 race crews, fans and other spectators. The Chamber
hosts the reception on the Thursday of race week before the big day on
Saturday. Carruthers,
who also serves as the BBORR Sanderson coordinator, said 160 drivers and 20
alternates have signed up for this year’s running. The race week
starts on Wednesday, April 21, with registration, classes and practice runs
Wednesday and Thursday, April 22. On Friday,
action moves to Fort Stockton for a car show and parade, among other
activities. On Saturday,
the drivers start one at a time from US Highway 285 at Mockingbird Lane in
south Fort Stockton and race to a finish line near Downie Arena in north
Sanderson. The drivers
pause for lunch at the Terrell County Courthouse before the second leg back
to Fort Stockton. The chamber
also plans a booth at the Courthouse Lawn for the turnaround. The affair
ends with the annual awards banquet at the Pecos County Community Center. And Steve
Martin said he would explore ideas for an airport open house to draw
attention to the Terrell County Airport. Chamber
members suggested a brisket cookoff in conjunction with a fly-in of light
airplanes coming in for the event. Proceeds could
benefit the chamber or another community function. Martin said a
flying club like the Experimental Aircraft Association, which is an
association of antique and home-built airplane owners, could bring airplanes
in to show off to visitors. Tentative date
for the event could be some time in June. James died
Sunday, Feb. 21, at the Hospice Inpatient Unit of Midland Memorial Hospital. He was born on
October 1, 1936, in Anthony, NM, to Noel and Josephine Lawdermilk James. He married the love of his life, Lacey
Eggleston, in Terrell County on Aug. 18, 1957. James worked
as a rancher, a gunsmith and a welder for 50 years in Dryden. He was a member of the First Calvary
Baptist Church in Sanderson. He was
preceded in death by his parents, Noel and Josephine James. Besides his
wife of 52 years, James is survived by two daughters, Joanna and Keith
Thomason of Midland and Lori and Doug Cravey of San Angelo; a grandson, Jim
Wyche of Midland; two granddaughters, Shonda Blodgett of Richland Springs and
Shayna Grant of San Saba, three great grandsons, Reid Blodgett of Richland
Springs and T.J. and Tyler Grant of San Saba and many friends and loved ones. In lieu of
flowers, the family asks that memorials be made in Lewis’ name to Hospice of
Midland, P.O. Box 2621, Midland, TX 79702 or First Calvary Baptist Church of
Sanderson, P.O. Box 440 Sanderson, TX 79848. Funeral
arrangements were under the care of Nalley-Pickle & Welch Funeral Home
& Crematory of Midland. Online
condolences can be made at www.npwelch.com. ALPINE –
Travis Roberts of Sanderson signed a formal “letter of intent” Friday to
attend Rice University at Houston on a cross country scholarship. Travis won the
Texas’ 1A Cross Country Champion in October after setting several records in
cross country events last spring. His mother
Katie Roberts said Travis does not know yet what he will major in and plans
to take some general liberal arts courses until he finds something that
attracts him. The entire
Sanderson History Fair team in town for that event crowded into the office of
State Rep. Pete Gallego for the signing. Travis is a
senior at Sanderson High School and ran his four years under Coach Brad
Conway, who was also present for the signing along with his family, Athletic
Director Mark Dominguez and others. Travis is on
the All A Honor Roll and also has participated in tennis, basketball and
football. “We are
extremely proud of Travis for all his
accomplishments, not only for getting to go to Rice, which is great in
itself, but also for his winning the state cross country title and he is a
very good student,” Superintendent Gary Hamilton said. “He really brought a
lot of accolades, both for his academic work and on the athletic side.” Hamilton said
he always sees Travis working with his dad when he is not training. “A good work
ethic has been instilled in him and I look for him to go far in life and be a
big success,” Hamilton said. “I would have been there but I had to be in
Austin on school business.” He thanked
Gallego for hosting the signing ceremony. ALPINE – The
Sanderson High School team of Travis Roberts, his brother William and Jacob
Benavidez won first place and “Best of Show” and received $500 scholarships
each to Sul Ross State University for their entry at the History Fair here
last week. This year’s
theme was “Innovation in History: Impact and Change” and the Best of
Show award was for an exhibit on “New Wire, Old History.” The theme was
over innovations, the impact they had and how they changed society over time. Jessie Roberts
received first place in the Junior High division for his entry on
“Geodaesia.” He also received the $200 Preservation of Local History award. Geodaesia is
defined as the art of surveying and measuring land. A total of 21
Sanderson High and Junior High students attended the fair and all won honors
for their work. At the
regional level, which is what the students competed in here, the top two
entries in each event earn the right to compete at the state level, which
will be in Austin on May 7 and 8. “This year and
for the first time since we have been competing at the History Fair – four
years – all of our entries placed either first or second so all of our
students are headed to state,” History Fair Sponsor David Carrasco said. “Miss [Tricia]
Nichols and I are very proud of all the hard work that our students have put
into their projects and we are happy to see them all make it to state.” David Bon won
$50 for The American History Award for his presentation on “The Few, The
Proud, the Marines.” Noemi Nuñez
received first place for her senior individual performance of “The Polio
Vaccine.” First place in
photography was awarded to Juliana Castro, Ernestina Gonzalez and Kelly
Lomas. Darren Seidel,
Chris Marquez, Sarah Sivils, Jessica Garza and Vicky Busch won in the senior
interpretive web site category with “The Practice of Tattooing.” Cameron Baker
won first for the senior historical paper on guns. Luis Garza won
first and Mason Blackmon won second in the junior historical paper category. Kayla Fuéntez,
Daniel Luevano, Grace Jahn and Jalen Chriesman won first for the Junior
Interpretive web sties division. Marco Fuéntez
and Joseph Carrasco won second for “Radio over the Years.” By
ANNA La FLEUR News
Leader Writer SANDERSON –
The Cantina el Gavilan here and a ranch down Five Mile Hill Road were packed
with 50 to 60 guests from as far away as England here last weekend for the
11th Annual Falkfest. Visitors said
the first day of festivities was so much fun that one reveler was rushed to
the hospital after having a seizure. Charles
Alexander said he forgot to take the medication that prevents that from
happening but he was picked up from the hospital Friday to enjoy the rest of
the festival. There were
about 30 people who returned this year from previous years and there was a
mix of older generations mixed with younger generations. The youngest
to partake was 23 years old and if you are only as old as you feel then it is
safe to say that the oldest was probably about 40. There was a large
amount of local folks who attended and Falk would be happy to know that his
wife Rhonda and sons Ben and Nathan attended also. Walter S. Falk, III, died
suddenly July 10, 2007. The spread of
food during the three days included brisket, sausage, pulled pork, bratwurst,
chicken vindaloo, potato salad, Menudo, fried rice, cole slaw and shrimp
diablos. This was
reportedly the biggest and best year the Falk Fest has had to date. It started at
noon Thursday Feb. 18, and ran through Saturday, Feb. 20. Revelers
gathered at the Cantina before heading over to the cave party on the Rio
Grande for beer and barbecue. Falkfest is an
annual weekend party in which one of the co-founders Walter Falk would
display his art work, mostly of landscapes. Walter Falk,
aka “Falkman” moved here in the 90s with wife and school teacher Rhonda and
their two boys, Nathan and Ben. They stayed a
few years before moving to Rockport. The party
moved to the Riverside Inn in Junction Saturday for more beer and barbecue. SANDERSON –
The American Legion Post 160 here plans to offer a Constitutional oratory
contest next school year that could provide a significant college
scholarship. Commander Dean
Autrey said the annual High School Oratorical Scholarship Program would be
for high schoolers from ninth to 12th grade in which students would give a
five-minute talk on some aspect of the US Constitution. The winner
would go to a state competition and could qualify for national contest with
scholarships of up to $16,000. Autrey said
the Terrell County ISD administration has expressed support for the plan. The contest
was developed in the 1930s to instill a better knowledge of the US
Constitution in high school students and to development leadership qualities,
the ability to think and speak clearly and preparation for acceptance of the
duties, responsibilities, rights and privileges of American citizenship. Autrey said
the Legion also has grants for families of deployed military people to help
with expenses such as utilities, doctor bills and recovery of damage to
property for things like fires or natural disasters. “Just call us
at the Legion and we can help you find the program that’s right for you,” he
said. And the Legion
announced this week that it would provide the usual breakfast menu on April
21 and 22 for crews, fans and spectators here for the Big Bend Open Road Race
Saturday, April 24. SANDERSON –
Democrats and Republicans will select their nominees for the November General
Election March 2 and “early voting” ends today, Feb. 26. Libertarians
will select their nominees at county, district and state caucuses. Terrell
County Libertarians will meet at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 13, at Legion Hall. There is one
race to be decided, the one for county judge between Dean Autrey and Pete
Sanchez, both of Sanderson. Jan Patrick
Baker of Dryden is unopposed for the Libertarian nomination to county
commissioner, Precinct 2, and his wife, Mette Ann Baker is running for State
Senate, District 19. The senate
district race caucuses are in the district involved but no caucus is required
in this district because there is only one Libertarian candidate. The state
convention at the Radisson Hotel North in Austin June 12 and 13 will be more
interesting with five candidates for governor and a few other contested
races. Squaring off
for the top state job are Jeff Daiell of Houston, Steve Nichols of Dallas,
M.J. “Smitty” Smith of Lubbock, Edward “Ed” Tidwell of Lago Vista and
Katherine Youngblood Glass of Houston. And Leonard L.
Nelson of Rockport and Rick Donaldson of Royce City are seeking the post of
commissioner of agriculture. SANDERSON –
There were 13 Sanderson High School students, four from Junior High and a
dozen Elementary kids on the All A honor roll for the first six weeks of the
second semester, it was revealed last week. Seniors with
all As were Jacob Benavidez, Clarissa Brotherton, Vicky Busch, Blakeney
Chriesman, Jessica Garza, Chris Marquez, Travis Roberts and Darren Seidel. Juniors who
had that honor were Ernestina Gonzalez, Brianna Johnson, Cordell Lawson and
Noemi Nuñez. The only tenth
grader to have all As was William Roberts. There were no
ninth graders on the list but eighth grader Jalen Chriesman shared the honor
with Luis Garza and Grace Jahn from the seventh grade. Jesse Roberts
was the only sixth grade student with all As. Fifth grade
did not have any students who made all As but fourth graders who made the
list were Noah Aguilar, Luke Carroll and Chris Ibarra. Eijah Carrasco
and Justin Flax were the two in the third grade who aced their grades. In the second
grade were James Bon, Cori Hilton, Taryn Mitchell, Jason Woosley and Brooklin
Zuniga. Dohnavon Anaya
and Teja Anderson were the only first graders who made the All-A honor roll. Seniors on the
AB honor roll were Angelina Hopkins, Ryan Rosas and Sarah Sivils. Juniors who
made that list were Amber Bon, Juliana Castro, Casey Couch, L.A. Galvan, Tim
Hopkins, Julianna Larrinaga, Kelly Lomas, Alan Marquez and Valeria Woosley. Ashley
Hagelgans was the only tenth grader on the list. Dryden Baker
and Daniela Garza were the only ninth graders who made all AB honor roll. The eighth
graders who had that achievement were Mason Blackmon, Kayla Fuéntez and
Daniel Luevano. Megan Seidel
was the only seventh grader who did and there were no sixth graders on that
list. In the fifth
grade, Andrew Hines and Kenney-Mae Pacheco made the list. Lauryn
Carroll, Hunter Truesdell, Jacob Luevano and Daniel Rodriguez-Guadarrama were
the fourth grade students the roll. In the third
grade were Lexie Coe, Kailey Dominguez, Christian Franco and Wyatt Mills. Second graders
Isaiah Aguilar, Jayden Montalvo, Ian Perez, Kate Roberts and Analise Rubio
all made the list. Cisco Fuentez,
John Michael Guadarrama, Mark La Fleur and Anthony Rodriguez were the first
graders who made the AB honor roll. Elementary
students who were present every day and never left early made the perfect
attendance list for the period. Fourth graders
were Buddy Imboden, Noah Marquez and Daniel Rodriguez. Third graders were
Kailey Dominguez and Wyatt Mills. Jacobi Campos
was the only second grader not missing a day of school. Dohnavon Anaya, John
Michael Guadarrama and Anthony Rodriguez were the first graders who always
present. Dominic
Aguilar, Gabriella Aguilar, Adrian Arredondo, Noah Benavidez, Kylie Dominguez
and Landry Lowrance were the kindergarten students who had perfect
attendance. The only pre-K student with the honor was Dakota Mills. Mexican Cruise
marks ‘Big Nine-Oh’ By
ANNA La FLEUR News
Leader Writer SANDERSON –
Rose Gibson returned from her birthday cruise recently. Her family paid for
her cruise to celebrate Gibson turning 90 years old. She flew into
Rancha Santa Margarita, CA where her family lives. There, she met up with her
niece Rose Melinda Gutierrez, husband Edie Gutierrez and their sons Mathew
& Michael. Also with them was Gibson’s other nephew Gilbert Gutierrez,
her great niece Melinda Rose Gutierrez, Gibson’s niece Birdie Saenz and Bill
McCarroll from Semi Valley, CA were also going on the cruise. Gibson sat at
the captain’s table to enjoy her cake with the captain and her family. She
also met celebrities like Frankie Avalon who posed for pictures with Gibson
and her family. The cruise was
a three-day trip to Ensenada in Baja California. Gibson then
flew to Lubbock where husband Butch picked her up and the couple visited her
brother in the hospital. Butch Gibson also was enjoying his newborn grandson
Gaven Gibson. “He looks like
me and that serious face, he gets that from me too,” Butch said. Wanda Fisher
recently returned to Sanderson. In 1970, she bought a house here with her
husband Forrest who worked for the US Border Patrol. She worked as
a computer operator on the military base in Sacramento, CA, before they moved
here. Her husband
has since passed away and Fisher buried him, a daughter and a son here in
Sanderson. She worked for
the Texas Department of Transportation in El Paso for 15 years before
deciding to retire and return to her home in Sanderson. Fisher was an
EMT here and later became an EMS instructor. She also was a candy striper,
started a senior women’s softball league which made it all the way to the
national level and worked in the senior Olympics for 15 years. She used to
bring her rabbits to the school for Easter bunnies and when she had geese she
would take those eggs to the school for the kids to decorate. She now lives in her house with her animals
which she adopted from shelters. She has a cat,
three ducks, five dogs and two rabbits that are more like family to Fisher
than pets. This summer
she plans to grow a garden and make jellies. Four
representatives of Terrell County ISD went to Alpine Monday to prepare
“grassroots advocacy” for the next Texas Legislative session. Board President
Ada Lee Robbins, Trustees Cheryl Seidel & Neto Calzada and Superintendent
Gary Hamilton attended the meeting of the Texas Association of School Boards. They will
appeal for equity in funding, particularly for rural districts, “educational
equity” and asking the state to “let local school boards do their jobs,”
Robbins said. ORANGE — The
Rise Across Texas Challenge will bring some 20 bicyclists to Sanderson next
month as part an 850-mile trek to far west Texas. The group will
set off from here Saturday, March 6, traveling two weeks toward their final
destination of Presidio. Along the way,
they will stop in Kountze, Montgomery, Brenham, Bastrop, Austin, Wimberley,
Kerrville, Leakey, Brackettville, Del Rio, Sanderson, Marathon, Marfa and
finally Presidio. Motivated by
the physical challenge and the desire to see Texas from the seat of a bike,
the cyclists also are driven by the mission of the ride. They ride to
raise funds for the nonprofit Rise Schools of Texas, which provide early
childhood education services to children with special needs as well as their
normally-develo-ping peers. Funding will
support the therapeutic and educational services including physical,
occupational, speech and music therapies. The Challenge
will begin in Orange, break for an Austin Celebrity Bike ride on March 10 and
culminate in a celebratory dinner on March 19 at the Marfa home of honorary
ride captain Lance Armstrong. Kevin
Livingston, six-time Tour de France Rider and U.S. National Champion, has
been training the riders for their venture. For more
information on the Rise Across Texas Challenge, visit www.riseacrosstexas.org. DEL RIO –
Debbie Hutto of Del Rio, a former Sanderson resident, has appealed to
Sandersonites for help after suffering a heart attack which rendered her
unable to work. Hutto, who
lived in Sanderson in the 1980s, suffered a massive heart attack on Aug. 9
while visiting her two grown children in San Antonio. “The Del Rio
News-Herald wrote in a recent story that she suffered a massive heart attack
in August and had triple by-pass surgery. “After 16 days
in the hospital with 13 days in ICU, Hutto was finally released in the care
of her two grown children,”the paper wrote. “She is now back home but she was
told it is going to be a long road to recovery. She is not allowed to work
and the medical bills are mounting.” The paper said
Hutto needs physical therapy but “lacks the funds to do so.” “Sanderson,
the people there always came to people's aid,” Hutto told the News Leader.
“My family and I lived there in Sanderson, I think from 1981 to 1988. “Both my
daughter Shannon, and my son Todd attended school there,” she said. “We lived
on Cargile Street, the street with many kids, all about the same age. Reid
and Jessie [McClellan] were our next door neighbors.” She said her
children were involved in sports and Shannon was a cheerleader. “We attended the First Presbyterian Church.
Lewis Allen was the pastor,” she said. “I think early on, Lewis recognized
that there were problems in my marriage.” After her
divorce, she worked at Kerr Mercantile and then moved to Del Rio “The employees
[at Kerr] were the best,” she said. “And everyone came in there to shop.” Hutto said she
has no health insurance, is single and unable to work because of her health. An account has
been established at the Bank & Trust under the name of Deborah A.
Colburn. She said she
goes by her maiden name socially but legally she still carries her married
name of Colburn. The account
number is 3470083 at the bank’s main branch at 1200 Veterans Blvd, Del Rio,
TX 78841, phone 830/ 774-2555. “Any and all
donations will be greatly appreciated,” she said. Cowboy Poetry
gathering to open ALPINE – The
24th Annual Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering opens at 10 a.m. today, Feb. 26, in
Marshall Auditorium on the campus of Sul Ross State University. Michael
Stevens will host the session which will feature Mike Beck and Joel Nelson.
Sul Ross President Dr. Ricardo Maestas will give a welcome address. The title
sponsor of The Gathering is West Texas National Bank. The Texas
Cowboy Poetry Gathering is an opportunity for working cowboys and cowgirls to
display their talents as poets, musicians and story tellers. The Gathering
also serves as a reunion for the participants. After the
opening session the 11 a.m. “Tribute to Marty Robbins and the Sons of the
Pioneers” session by the Desert Sons will be in Marshall Auditorium. Don Cadden
will emcee the “Preview to the Gathering” at 1 p.m., also in Marshall.
Participating will be Red Steagall, Cowboy Celtic and Australian Jack Sammon.
All of these
sessions are free, as are all the daytime sessions. Starting at 2 p.m. today
and running until 5 p.m. tomorrow, there are at least nine concurrent
sessions at various locations on the Sul Ross campus. The event is
funded by the contributions of area businesses and individuals. West Texas
National Bank is the 2010 title sponsor and the City of Alpine has made
significant contributions to the event. The 2010
Gathering is dedicated to cowboy poet Rusty McCall. Sul Ross State University
provides the facilities. A custom-made
pair of spurs by Gene Klein will be raffled to support the event. Jack Sammon
has contributed a stock whip of kangaroo hide to the raffle and Wayne
Franklin has donated a custom-made silver bracelet. Tickets are
available at Twin Peaks Liquors and Johnson Feed and Western Wear and will be
available at the event until the drawing tomorrow night. Tickets are $10
each. The steering
committee will offer a 2010 commemorative partner pin for a minimum $10
donation. Those pins
will be available on the Sul Ross campus at the information booth and from
committee members during the Gathering. Mike Beck and
Joel Nelson will be the headliners for the Friday night show in Marshall
Auditorium. Don Cadden
will emcee the show which will include other performers as well. Red Steagall
and Cowboy Celtic will join others on the Marshall stage tomorrow night.
Michael Stevens will be the emcee. For both night
shows, the cost of admission is $12.50 for adults, $6 for children and lap
babies are free. Each night the show begins at 7 p.m. SAN ANGELO –
Terrell County 4-H members participated in a wide range of events this year
at the 78th Annual San Angelo Livestock Show here this week. Members
participated in the meats contest, junior market goat show, junior lamb show,
and junior gilt show. The meats team
competed Saturday against 28 other teams from across the state. This was the
first contest of the year for the team. It was a practice contest for the
team as they prepare for the District Roundup Competition scheduled for April
21 here. Team members
include Dryden Baker, Cameron Baker, Jake Hall and Sarah Sivils. In the junior
market goat show, members competed against more than 1,000 entries at the
contest. 4-H members participating in the goat show were Shawn Stegall,
Brandee Stegall, Kailey Dominguez, Sarah Sivils and Hanna Swanson. In the junior
lamb show Kailey competed against more than 950 entries with her medium wool
lamb. Members also
participated in the junior gilt swine show this year for the first time. Dryden Baker
participated in the junior gilt breeding swine show and the Certified Texas
Breed Registry show. Luke Carroll
participated in the junior gilt breed swine show. The 4-H
members will continue competing at the stock show through the end of this
week. Other upcoming
events include the junior market barrow swine show and the rabbit show. Terrell County
4-H members will compete in the Houston Livestock Show and the Star of Texas
Show in Austin next month. |
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